Page 70 of Stick Move

He grins at me, but it’s forced and pained, and it gives me pause. Is the well-known player, on and off the ice, tired of his bachelor days? “I wasn’t asking for a commitment.”

Okay, guess not.

Or maybe he is and is trying to hide it.

“Maybe she’s just looking for more, Brady,” I say seriously. “She’s a few years older than you, and maybe she’s looking for different thing than you are.”

“Never been with an older woman,” he teases with a wag of his brows that feels forced.

“Is that what this is all about?” I ask, even though I don’t think it is. Something is going on with Brady, and he’s my buddy, so if he wants to talk about this all night, I will. I let go of the door handle and settle in my seat.

He notes my actions and shakes his head. “Get on in there with your girls, Noah.”

My girls.

My heart soars at the sound of that.

He taps his fingers on the steering wheel, a bit restless despite our long-ass week. “You really love her, don’t you?”

With zero hesitation in my voice, I answer, “I do.”

He nods, looking genuinely happy for me. “I can tell. It looks good on you, bud.”

I run tired fingers through my mess of hair. “Between us, we kind of made the engagement real, but it was really shitty how it went down. She deserves better than that.”

He snorts. “Then go give her better.”

“I will…unless you want to talk.”

He grips the steering wheel and looks straight ahead and the sadness about him is palpable. Christ, I’ve never seen him like this. “I’m good, bud.” He hesitates a moment. "It's just that Theo is driving me insane. I'm going to need to look for my own place soon."

I’m about to press, but he picks up his phone, putting an end to the conversation. I can read a room, or a car, so I open the door to leave him to his thoughts.

I bend and peek back inside the door as he pops the trunk. “Get some rest.” He nods and I close the door, grab my gear from the trunk, and hurry to the front entranceway. The house is dark and quiet when I enter, and I hurry up the steps to my wing. I drop my bag on the floor, head straight to my bedroom, and a wave of disappointment washes over me when I find my bed empty.

I hurry across the hall to Camryn’s room and my heart splits open as the two loves of my life snuggle together in a deep sleep. Since I don’t have the heart to wake either of them, I tiptoe from the room and leave the door cracked, just in case Brighton wakes and wants to slip into my bed.

I leave the lights out in my room, strip off to my boxers and fall into bed. Sleep hits hard and fast, and the next thing I know, I’m waking up to Camryn jumping on my bed.

“Daddy. Daddy. Daddy. Wake up. What did you bring me?”

“Come here, Bean.” Protecting my balls, I pull her down and give her a big hug and kiss on the forehead. Lifting a bit, I glance around the room, expecting to see Brighton.

“Daddy, I played with Becky and Olivia yesterday, but we’re still going to the park today, right? It’s Sunday and we always go to the park and get ice cream.”

“Of course, we are.” I’m not sure why but I have a terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. I listen for sound in the house. Maybe Brighton is in the kitchen making pancakes. Yeah, that has to be it. She’s giving me quiet time with my daughter. Why then, is my gut tightening in a knot of anxiety—the same kind of anxiety I felt right after Camryn was born and her mother abandoned her—making me sweat?

“Do you know where Ms. Brighton is?” I ask, working to sound casual and easy going.

She nods and a wave of relief washes over me. “She told me she wouldn’t be here when I woke up this morning, but that you would be home. She said she had a runs to do.”

“A runs.” I pause and try to figure that out. For as long as I’ve known Brighton, she doesn’t run in the morning. “Do you mean, errands?”

“That’s what I said, Daddy. A runs.”

I ruffle her hair. “Okay, Bean. Let’s get up and dressed and I need a shower.”

“Ms. Brighton gave me a fun bubble bath last night.” She pouts. “When do I get to call her mommy? Becky was sure now that Ms. Brighton has a ring, I didn’t have to call her Ms. Brighton anymore.”

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